Welcome to the latest episode of The Readers, which is oddly inspired by Fifty Shades of Gre, yes you read that right, Fifty Shades of Grey…As Simon and Thomas talk about when books get hyped and how it affects them along with their thoughts on self-published authors.

Catching Up () Simon and Thomas have a catch up about what they have been reading, and also what they are watching on the telly, so much so they have to remind each other what this show is called. Simon also has a chat about the holiday that he is just going on, or has actually just been on – it gets very confusing.

Fifty Shades of Fuss () In the first part of the show official, Simon and Thomas, at the bequest of Andrew and Michael who asked on Twitter, talk about hyped books and book hype – not to be confused by the same thing. Why is it that some buzz can really draw you to a book and other times completely put you off? Which books brimming with buzz have Simon and Thomas enjoyed and which have they not?

The Grey Area of Self Publishing () Mary on Goodreads wanted Simon and Thomas to talk about self published authors… so they do, they only hope lots and lots of people won’t be put off by how honest and occasionally ranty they get.

Next time on the Readers () Simon and Thomas will be back in two weeks with more book based banter. Don’t forget you can hear Simon and Kate Mayfield on the latest You Wrote The Book! and next week he is talking with Jessie Burton in the last show of this season. Oh and keep your eyes peeled for episode of Hear Read This where Simon, Rob, Kate and Gavin will be discussing two more books they’ve read together in the last episode of that season – what is going on?

I agree with many of your reservations about self-published books but there are also authors who found traditional publishing unsatisfactory & have had success as indie publishers. Linda Gillard & Sue Hepworth are two authors I’ve come to know through their blogs & I’ve read & enjoyed their books. Both were published authors but they wanted more control over their work. Linda was asked to change characters & plot which would have completely changed the book she had written & both of them had trouble getting books published by mainstream publishers because they didn’t fit the latest trends. They also wanted to control things like cover design. They’ve both built their audiences through social media & workshops (in Linda’s case). So, yes, there’s a lot of dross out there but there are some gems as well. The problem is discovering good indie authors & I don’t have an answer for that except recommendations from friends & blogs I trust. Thanks for the podcast, I really enjoy it.

Darnit – I’ve just listened to the past three podcasts in one gulp, and the name of one book that I meant to remember is escaping me. You were talking about how it’s much better reading the illustrated version of the book … but that’s the only detail I can bring to mind! I don’t suppose you (or another listener) remembers the title? Thanks.

I’d add that A Naked Singularity, the brilliant debut by New York-based attorney Sergio de la Pava began as a self-published work, though it was eventually picked up by University of Chicago Press. I’d highly recommend that work to any fans of more offbeat, postmodern-type fiction.